— Controversial conservative talk show host and commentator Ben Shapiro will come to Tuscaloosa as part of Young America’s Foundation’s speaking tour of college campuses. Protests are almost guaranteed before and during his speech.

— Last year, Auburn lost a lawsuit when it tried to ban a speaker from their campus. The school was required to let Richard Spencer speak and pay $29,000 in legal costs for litigants.

5. A Christmas market in France is the scene of a terror attack

— At least four people were killed and eight were wounded in a shooting near a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, by a 29-year-old that was suspected of radicalization and was being watched.

— The name of the individual who is suspected has not been released. The reports say he is known as “Cherif C” and he is still on the run, and he has a long record as a “Gangster-Jihadi” with “a significant criminal record and has been in prison several times.”

4. Former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in Montgomery

— Sessions told a large crowd that in spite of all the drama surrounding his time and his departure in the Trump administration, “I’m proud of Trump’s policy agenda, and proud to have a part in it.”

— Sessions did not address his potential future running for office, including whether or not he will run for office in 2020 against U.S. Senator Doug Jones.

3. Boycott “leaders” declare Yellowhammer News to be “the enemy” and now want people to boycott any company that has a location in the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover

— Student minister Tremon Muhammad, who leads the Nation of Islam’s Birmingham mosque, repeated that protesters are at war with Hoover, with the goal being to “Boycott Hoover and build up black Birmingham.”

— Additionally, protesters are now calling for a nationwide boycott of chains with stores at the Riverchase Galleria, this includes “Bath & Body Works, Belk, Dave & Busters, Express, Gap, GNC, H&M, JC Penney, Macy’s, Old Navy, Sears, Victoria’s Secret, and Von Maur just to name a few,” according to a press release sent to media outlets.

2. House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter declares there is a 75 percent chance of a gas tax passing

— Ledbetter appeared on the radio laying out a strategy to get this gas tax passed. It includes enlisting county commissioners in the process. He also acknowledged individual carveouts for certain projects could doom the legislation.

— The mayors of Vestavia Hills and Alabaster are lobbying for an increased gas tax. Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon wants constituents to reach out to legislators. She wrote, “I can’t stress enough how important it is for our legislators to hear from their constituents about the public safety issues and escalating need in their communities. It would be wonderful if the voice of local government and public safety professionals were enough; however, it is always going to take the voices of the voters to make the difference between crumbling congested roads and safe highways.”

1. President Donald Trump owns a government shutdown over the border; He also owns Pelosi and Schumer

— During an insane meeting with the future speaker of the House and Senate majority leader, the president declared he would welcome a government shutdown and own the shutdown himself.

— The issue is border security and the wall. Trump wants $5 billion for the wall, while Democrats are prepared to offer $1.3 billion. Neither seems prepared to move.

In spite of that desire, there are pressing needs in every part of the state and constituents will want their needs addressed, but he agreed that every caveat carved out weakens the bill and makes it less likely to pass.

In the interview, Ledbetter signaled a strategy that will be unveiled to convince Alabama voters that a gas tax increase isn’t that bad and surrounding states have higher taxes so we should increase ours as well, arguing it would be a “reasonable” tax.

Ledbetter stated, “You know Georgia did 26 on gas, 29 on diesel with a five dollar lodging fee.”

“We’re not gonna do that,” he added.

Ledbetter then continued to point out Alabama’s higher tax neighbors, “Tennessee put 10 cents on, Louisiana put 18 cents on. I think we’re going to be more reasonable with what we do and we need to do it for the right reasons.”

A strategy for the gas tax is being unveiled before our eyes: using county commissioners to lobby legislators for a higher gas tax and compare Alabama’s taxes to our neighbors.

Will it work? Ledbetter said there is around a 75 percent chance it will.

Listen:

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— The Democrats’ new face, Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has a trillion dollar plan to solve the climate crisis and create “16 million new good-paying jobs.” Ocasio-Cortez supporters in D.C. participated in a “take over”of  the offices of Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA).

— Police arrested protesters for “unlawfully demonstrating in the Cannon and Longworth House Office Buildings,” but Democrats showed support for them with Hoyer tweeting, “I welcome visitors from @sunrisemvmt to my office today, and I’m happy to hear from them about one of the most pressing issues of our time. Speaking out is exactly what our democracy is all about, and I appreciate their passion. The new Dem Majority will #ActonClimate.”

5. Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and soon-to-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi may offer up some border funding

— With the December 21 budget deadline nearing, Democrat leaders say they will offer President Donald Trump $1.3 billion in funding for a border wall, but Trump wants $5 billion.

— Trump lacks leverage here, except a government shutdown. He put out a series of tweets including, “I look forward to my meeting with Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi. In 2006, Democrats voted for a Wall, and they were right to do so. Today, they no longer want Border Security. They will fight it at all cost, and Nancy must get votes for Speaker. But the Wall will get built…”

4. The drama over Hillary Clinton’s emails continues as Judicial Watch does the work the FBI/DOJ should

— U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth called it “one of the gravest modern offenses to government transparency” and ordered the U.S. Departments of State and Justice to determine “(a) whether Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email while Secretary of State was an intentional attempt to evade FOIA; (b) whether the State Department’s attempts to settle this case in late 2014 and early 2015 amounted to bad faith; and (c) whether State has adequately searched for records responsive to Judicial Watch’s requests.”

— While the FBI/DOJ seems to have dropped this case in the Obama-era, one activist group continues to fight for the transparency that the then-secretary of state worked so hard to avoid by creating a homebrew server, bleach bit-ing the hard drives and smashing mobile devices.

3. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could be the next White House chief of staff even after commenting that President Trump could be criminally exposed

— After Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, turned down the White House job, the speculation machine ramped up and came up with new options for the job, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former campaign adviser David Bossi and Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC) for White House chief of staff.

— Christie may be a favorite because Trump reportedly wants “a functioning White House,” but he said on ABC’s “This Week” that the President seems to be in some legal trouble because of Michael Cohen’s issues with the Southern District of New York, citing “[t]he language in the sentencing memo is different from what we’ve heard before”

2. Gas tax increase may be hitting a snag; Gas prices in Alabama are below the national average

— All three of Alabama’s biggest dogs support a new gas tax: Governor Kay Ivey, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh and Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, but local legislators are finding the issue to be a bit of a harder sell to their constituents given the ALGOP/GOP’s anti-tax positioning.

— Currently, Alabama’s average price of gasoline is $2.08 a gallon, which is far below the national average of $2.42 a gallon. Alabama’s price has decreased seven cents in one week and 36 cents in one month.

1. The Nation of Islam is leading the boycotts in Hoover and sees it as a “war” to separate races

— The Birmingham chapter of the Nation of Islam, which Yellowhammer News notes “is deemed an “extremist,” “deeply racist, antisemitic” “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center” is leading a boycott movement in Hoover that has a goal of moving black-owned businesses out of Hoover and in to majority-black areas of Birmingham.

— As the protesters attempt to make Hoover go “broke,” yet another arrest for blocking freeways in Hoover has taken place, bringing the total to three as the city of Hoover appears to have had enough of the protesters.

The real hangup on any potential legislation is how many different stakeholders there are involved in this issue.

Sure, all three of Alabama’s biggest dogs support a new gas tax: Governor Kay Ivey, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh and Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, but it almost seems like they are attempting to will a new gas tax bill into existence.

Last week, the Alabama County Commissioner Association met and its leader, Sonny Brasfield, sent the message that it was up to the county commissioners to drag this across the finish line, but it doesn’t appear the commissioners from the bigger counties in Alabama are enthusiastic about the proposal.

In an interview Monday with WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show,” Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong made it clear that he and other larger counties in the state are not on board with the ACCA’s push, saying there are “67 counties in Alabama, most of them are wanting to do anything to take money out of other counties,” adding they “are outnumbered.”

Strong cited the size of his county, arguing if it were a city, it would be the fifth largest in the state. He pointed out that most of these county commissioners “can’t even fathom what we deal with” because “a lot of the counties in Alabama don’t even have 50,000 people in them” while each Madison County Commissioner represents that many.

The frustration from the larger counties is going to work its way into the legislative process because you are not going to see legislators who want to go against local leaders who are sounding the alarm about new taxes being collected and being sent elsewhere.

The pro-gas tax increase side has one massive advantage, though. Chairman Strong acknowledged it, saying, “[T]he needs for our roads here are great but the big thing is, I think you’ve got to, if you want to increase something you’ve gotta go to the people and say how it’s going to be spent.”

Obviously, there is going to have to be some sort of spending plan put in place on any new gas tax, but for every caveat you create to bring someone on board, you risk losing support elsewhere. This will not be a “clean” bill or process — this will be messy.

Listen:

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— In what many viewed as an upset, Murray beat Tagovailoa with more yards and touchdowns while having played in far more snaps as Tagovailoa, who did not play much in the fourth quarter because his games were mostly in the bag.

— As our society likes to do, ghouls attempted to ruin Murray’s celebration by “resurfacing” old tweets where he repeatedly referred to his other high school friends as “queers,” which forced him to make an absurd apology that no one believes he meant. But he had to make it anyway.

5. Legislators are counting on county commissioners across Alabama to advocate for their gas tax

— After the Alabama County Commission Association met in Montgomery,  chairman Sonny Brasfield told Yellowhammer News it was time for his members to start selling the gas tax, saying, “Our folks left with a charge from us to get back to work at the local level. In some ways, we were unsuccessful in 2017. But in other ways, we have moved the issue to the point that I think there’s pretty consistent agreement that it is time to do something on roads and bridges. What is that? How do we do it? We got three months to get that ready. I think our folks – what we need to be doing between now and then is building support at the local level.”

— The push for a gas tax is part of the pre-game fight that House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) signaled was coming when he asked the members to support the legislative leadership’s push for new revenue.

4. James Comey has a pretty bad memory about his time as head of the FBI

— After a transcript of Comey’s testimony before Congress was released, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) highlighted how poorly Comey recalled his time there during the 2016 election. Meadows said, “The transcript from yesterday’s James Comey interview is out. It includes: ‘I don’t know’ – 166 times ‘I don’t remember’ – 71 times ‘I don’t recall’ – 8 times.” He added, “Does this sound like someone interested in telling the full story?”

— For Comey’s part, his testimony was mostly spent defending his decisions to not push for charging Hillary Clinton and his failure to see the unverified Steele dossier as a political document.

3. November’s job report is pretty good, but the stock market is still sputtering

— Wages and jobs are up, while unemployment is at 3.7 percent, which is 0.4 points lower than it was last November. This market is at full employment.

— In spite of these good numbers, the stock market, which many wrongly view as the measurement of the whole economy, saw a rough week with the market losing all of the gains of 2018 and is now down 1.9 percent on the year following trade concerns with China.

2. The “leader” of Hoover’s protest movement has been charged with disorderly conduct; Hoover is making arrests

— Carlos Chaverst, Jr. was allegedly going to turn himself in to face charges of disorderly conduct stemming from the two security guards injured at the Ross Bridge hotel in Hoover, but he has not lived up to that claim yet.

— Arrests are being made. Mark Myles was arrested Sunday afternoon while “scoping it out” at the mall and Anne Susan Diprizio was arrested last week at Hoover City Hall for throwing Christmas ornaments into traffic, standing in traffic and trying to climb on a vehicle while saying she was “going to stop traffic until there was justice for EJ.”

1. The president has been implicated on two crimes we know he committed, but there is still no Russian collusion

— While the president claims he has been vindicated, Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to two campaign finance violations and it seems pretty clear that the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are using Cohen and others involved in the payment to get to the president.

— The other news from the Friday filings involving the Mueller investigation could be politically damaging, as it exposes Trump lies. Famed liberal constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz argued, “This is politically damaging, but I’m not sure how legally damaging it is.” He added, “This is all about questionable political behavior. It’s a good reason for people voting against Trump. But I don’t see a crime yet.”

Jackson and Burke are joined by former State Senator Jeff Enfinger (D-Huntsville) to discuss gas taxes and President George H.W. Bush.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed at County Commissioners who gathered last week to call for a gas tax increase and tells them to do it first.

— In an interview with Politico where Jeff Sessions raised doubts about new efforts for criminal justice reform and defended acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, the former Alabama senator did not seem ready to make any decisions about his political future.

— When asked if he was “itching” to get back into politics, Sessions said, “No. I mean, no. I could go back and spend time in the woods. I’ve got 10 grandchildren, oldest is 11.”

5. A total and complete ban on cellphones and driving may be coming to Alabama

— Alabama State Senator Jim McClendon thinks the current law is too hard for police to enforce because the user could be making a phone call and that is currently illegal.

— McClendon said it is time to pass a bill that goes further, arguing, “The bill prohibits touching a cellphone. You can’t have a cell phone in your hand, you can’t have a cell phone in your lap, you can make phone calls with it if you have a Bluetooth device.”

4. Gas tax and other attempts to increase revenue for the state of Alabama are coming

— Alabama State House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter spoke to the Association of County Commissions of Alabama while imploring them to “[g]o back to your district, let the people know why we need to have infrastructure improved in Alabama.” He advised them to “tell people we’re doing this to keep our kids safe”.

— Alabama has not changed the gas tax calculation since 1992. Gas tax proponents argue cars like hybrids and electric cars get higher gas mileage because higher gas mileage means less gas and less gas tax.

3. Judge orders video of shooting must be handed over to the attorney for the Riverchase Galleria shooting suspect

— While the release of police body camera footage has been the topic of protest and consternation in Hoover, a judge says those videos and surveillance footage showing the shooting at the Riverchase Galleria must be turned over to Erron Brown’s attorney.

— Much has been made about the police involvement in this shooting, but little is known about the interaction that caused the initial shooting police were responding to, but Brown’s attorney says EJ Bradford and Brown knew each other before the altercation that left Bradford dead.

2. Governor Kay Ivey voices support for law enforcement and Hoover PD implies they will not allow a repeat of protesters on roadways

— Ivey told Yellowhammer News, “This is a homicide investigation,” and, “Law enforcement must be supported. The State Bureau of Investigation is in charge. And I trust them, and I wait for their report.”

— Protests over the police shooting, not the initial shooting, at the Riverchase Galleria has spilled on to Highway 31, I-459, and I-65 without arrest, but the Hoover PD says they will “ensure the free flow of traffic” and keep the protests off of school campuses.

1. The funeral for President George H. W. Bush feature touching tributes from his son and friends

— Former President George W. Bush broke down and sobbed at the end of his eulogy for his father closing with, “Through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have.”

— Former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson reiterated a piece of advice President Bush gave him in trying times, saying, “[Bush] often said when the really tough choices come, it’s the country, not me. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans, it’s for our country that I fought for.”

Ainsworth just got off his first statewide campaign, which featured a heavy amount of television advertising, while Byrne ran statewide in 2010 and Zeigler has run statewide ten times throughout his career. Marsh has never run statewide.

Breaking the numbers down by media market reveals some geographic strengths, which are always important in a contested primary with a host of candidates.

The Mobile media market unsurprisingly went heavily for its congressman. Byrne garnered 70.6 percent of that region, followed by Ainsworth at 7.5 percent, Ziegler at 3.1 percent and Marsh at 1.9 percent. 16.9 percent of respondents were undecided.

In Huntsville, Ainsworth – who lives in North Alabama – was top dog by a significant margin. He received 36.5 percent, Marsh got 12.4 percent, Byrne 8.4 percent and Zeigler 7.3 percent. 35.4 percent were undecided.

The state’s largest media market (Birmingham) was tight between Ainsworth and Marsh, who ran a solid television buy in that region this general election cycle. Ainsworth polled at 20 percent, Marsh received 18.8 percent, Byrne 11.2 percent and Zeigler 9.8 percent. 40.2 percent were undecided.

The Montgomery media market (which contained the Wiregrass in this polling) was a complete toss up, with Zeigler performing his best here. Ainsworth chalked up 19.5 percent, Zeigler garnered 18 percent, Byrne 17 percent and Marsh 7 percent. 38.5 percent were undecided.

Byrne has been very proactive in traveling the state while he strongly considers running; he has been mostly alone in this category.

However, Ainsworth, who was just traveling across Alabama for the past eighteen months or so campaigning, is now beginning to make moves of his own behind the scenes. Recent meetings in Washington D.C. will only add to the speculation that he could throw his hat in the Senate ring.

Marsh has made clear that he is “looking” at the possibility and Zeigler has announced an exploratory campaign to “gauge support and ability to raise the funds to get our message out.”

Obviously, this will not be the final field of Republican candidates in 2020. One or more of these four may end up deciding against a run after exploring, pondering and praying, and there are other potential major candidates that could very well jump in.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

— Special counsel Robert Mueller said Flynn provided “substantial assistance” to the special counsel’s probe and he recommended a lighter criminal sentence, including no jail time for one count of lying to federal prosecutors.

— The documents show that Flynn had 19 different meetings with prosecutors involving an “unknown criminal investigation” and the Russia meddling probe, including the “content and context of interactions between the transition team and Russian government officials.”

5. A California lawmaker wants to make his state a magnet for illegal immigrants

—  State Assembly member Joaquin Arambula will re-introduce a bill that would allow adults who live in the state illegally to receive medical care paid for by the government, a move that will surely bring illegals into his state.

— Democrats are going big on free health care. Liberal darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continues to push “Medicare for All” with no idea how to pay for her proposed spending.

4. “Ballot harvesting” has the media fired up, but only in North Carolina and not California

— In one North Carolina congressional race, a political operative is accused of paying a woman to “harvest” ballots for the candidate, possibly discarding the ballots cast for the Democrat and filling out some ballots for the eventual winning Republican.

— But in California’s Orange County, where every seat went red-to-blue, the county registrar says “ballot harvesting” was happening with “250,000” votes by mail drop-off ballot delivered. He added, “[P]eople were carrying in stacks of 100 and 200 of them. We had had multiple people calling to ask if these people were allowed to do this.”

3. Tariff Man craters the stock market as China/U.S. talk gets muddied

— The markets plunged almost 800 points after the president declared himself to be “Tariff Man.” The White House acknowledged there was no deal to eliminate auto tariffs and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned it is possible that the global economy is facing a correction that could be made worse by trade disputes.

— J.P. Morgan officially noted that they do not believe there is any particular deal in the making between Trump and China, saying, “It doesn’t seem like anything was actually agreed to at the dinner and White House officials are contorting themselves into pretzels to reconcile Trump’s tweets (which seem if not completely fabricated then grossly exaggerated) with reality.”

2. An Alabama-based company’s train will take former President George H.W. Bush home

— Progress Rail, headquartered in Albertville, will be providing the final rail transportation for President Bush in a specially designed train making Bush the first president since Dwight D. Eisenhower to be sent off this way.

— Progress Rail unveiled a special 16-foot-tall locomotive 13 years ago designed with the color scheme of Air Force One and numbered 4141 for the late president. He reportedly was stunned when he saw it, only saying “wow” and he couldn’t stop smiling.

1. Riverchase Galleria suspect says he is innocent; Protests target a Walmart for some reason

— Erron Martez Dequan Brown is charged with attempted murder, but his lawyer says he will plead not guilty, but has not elaborated. The lawyer may hold a press conference soon.

— On Tuesday protesters took to a Walmart in Hoover, then to a Buffalo Wild Wings and finally to I-65 where they abandoned their cars and started walking down the freeway.

Threats aimed at the public and the derogatory name-calling of Hoover Police Officers aren’t Chaverst’s foray into the political realm. He’s been quite active based on a biography provided by the left-leaning Huffington Post. He served as a committee assistant for outspoken Birmingham city councilwoman Sheila Tyson and is currently the youth director of the Alabama chapter of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.

AL(dot)com has taken a keen interest in Chaverst’s activities. On Sunday, Alabama’s juggernaut of three-day-a-week major city newspapers deployed breaking news reporter Anna Beahm to AMC Patton Chapel movie theater in Hoover to witness Chaverst hurl insults at police and intimidate individuals with no involvement in the Thanksgiving night shooting whatsoever seeking to patronize the theater. She was also on the scene for Chaverst grandstanding overture at a Hoover City Council meeting on Monday, and for a disruption at the Sam’s Club in Hoover immediately after the council meeting.

Also sent to Hoover to chronicle Chaverst’s endeavors was education reporter Tricia Powell Crain, stationed at the Riverchase Galleria on Monday.

Given the media attention granted to Chaverst and his apparent role as a figurehead for this protest movement, he is worthy of a deep-dive analysis. Our analysis starts with his tweets given Chaverst declares as a place he can be himself, as opposed to Facebook.

At first glance, it appears Chaverst is a jack of many trades, but it’s not clear that he is a master of any. In his Twitter biography, he declares himself to be a “National Award Winning Journalist,” the president of a namesake company called “Chaverst Strategies,” and also a strategist, organizer, talk show host and activist. He also is a self-proclaimed entrepreneur.

Based on his Twitter, Chaverst enjoys an active nightlife, which as he has pointed out sometimes becomes the-morning-after-last-nightlife.

In 2016, Chaverst was a candidate for public office. He ran in the Democratic Party primary for the Constable of Alabama House District 60. A Twitter account he used in that effort shows some semblance of an organized campaign. However, he came up short in securing the Democratic Party’s nod by a little over 1,200 votes.

Despite his online shenanigans, there is at least one calming influence in his life, his mother, Sonja Curtis. Curtis has reached out to her son on social media and warned him to “stay classy” and is also aware of the activities he is publicizing on Twitter.

Chaverst has a dedicated Facebook account to this protest movement. However, Facebook has imposed some limitations given it was reported to be “hate speech” by some users.

For the time being, Chaverst remains a central figure of the backlash to last week’s tragedy given he is frequently cited by media outlets. However, it’s not entirely clear that Chaverst isn’t exploiting the shooting to promote himself.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.

— Jones called Mueller’s investigation “very professional” and “incredibly efficient,” while drawing on his experience as a prosecutor saying people should not “jump to conclusions.”

— Jones told reporters impeachment isn’t on his mind yet, saying, “I don’t think anybody needs to be thinking about that.” He added, “I think Robert Mueller needs to finish his work.

5. As migrants ruin Tijuana’s tourism industry, a Democratic congresswoman went and joined the caravan

— Restaurant owners are reporting a 30 percent slump in business as tourists and visitors cancel trips to the tourist hotspot for fear of getting trapped in Mexico should the crossing close again and because of the general uncertainty of the crowd that has gathered south of the American border.

— Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) joined the migrants and helped five asylum seekers gain access to the United States. She tweeted, “I was able to successfully assist 5 asylum seekers – 2 unaccompanied minors, a mother and her 9-year-old child, and a young man with a serious medical condition – into the United States.”

4. Alabama homes have lost billions in value on the coast; Experts cite sea level rise

— Researchers at the non-profit First Street Foundation and Columbia University found that coastal Alabama cities homes have lost a lot of value. Mobile Bay’s property values have gone down $46.7 million. Gulf Shores’ property values have dropped $26.1 million, Mobile’s $25.9 million and Dauphin Island’s $22.9 million.

— The study also found that in areas like Miami-Dade County, Fla., the New Jersey shore, coastal Virginia, New York, South Carolina, Delaware and others have declined $14.6 billion since 2005.

3. Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-3) comes out against the awarding of a major contract to an Alabama firm

— Alabama’s United Launch Alliance was awarded a nearly $1 billion contract to develop a launch vehicle for future national security space missions. Rogers wants the bid process changed, which could lead to another company working on the program.

— The move seems somewhat odd for a congressman to oppose an award to a company based in his own state, but Rogers has long believed the federal government should take a bigger lead in this arena. He explained, “It has led me to call, along with President Trump, for the creation of the Space Force. This letter was simply an oversight of this program in my subcommittee’s jurisdiction.”

2. Neither Hoover PD nor ALEA will release the tape of the Riverchase Galleria shooting until the investigation is complete

— Monday’s deadline, placed by Hoover officials, came and went without a released video showing the events of Thanksgiving that led to the death of Emantic “EJ” Bradford, Jr., but Hoover announced they remain “committed to cooperating with ALEA in order to maintain the integrity of their investigation.”

— ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor sent a letter to the city urging them to show patience, Hoover’s police chief released a statement on his request explaining their decision making, saying, “He has specifically asked that we do not release any potential evidence as it may not only jeopardize the integrity of the case, but also complicate or delay their efforts.”

1. A private autopsy has been completed by the Bradford family, who claims it shows Bradford was “murdered” — Escalations are promised

— The results of a private autopsy by the Bradford’s family and their representatives at a press conference showed Bradford was shot three times from behind, which led to claims that Bradford was “murdered.” They demanded charges should be filed against the officer who shot him. they made it clear there would be consequences if it did not happen soon, calling the situation a “powder keg”.

— Protest “leader” Carlos Chaverst Jr. took to social media in an attempt to provoke a reaction from those angry over the shooting, threatening to put police officers’ names online (some of which took place in a since removed video), say “F**k peace, we want justice for EJ. They murdered him” and threatening to release the name and address of the officer involved in the shooting today at noon.

— In response to President Donald Trump’s election, Google employees worked to find a way to bury conservative viewpoints and news sources in their search function, which accounts for 90 percent of web searches.

— Internal messaging included a desire to “reverse things in four years” in threads with engineers and a Google vice president. Stories like this are leading to a call for regulation of the Internet by Republicans in Congress.

5. Mexico starts to crack down on illegal immigration — Trump shows no sign of letting up

— Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed on to a deal to attempt to stymie the flow of illegals entering his country on their way to the United States. The plan includes a series of “programmes, projects, and specific actions, for the sake of jobs generation and poverty fight in the region.”

— The deployment of active duty troops, in addition to the 2,100 National Guard soldiers at the border is being scaled from 5,900 to around 4,000, but those troops may end up staying longer and a rotation could be created to keep soldiers at the border much longer.

4. Russia tried to meddle in 2018, according to Secretary Mattis; President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have an informal conversation

— According to Secretary Mattis, the situation with Russia’s attempts to influence our elections have not ceased. He said, “There is no doubt the relationship has worsened. He tried again to muck around in our elections this last month.” He added, “We are seeing a continued effort around those lines.”

— After former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s guilty plea, President Trump canceled his summit with Putin, but they still met and had what the White House has called an informal chat that, according to Putin, the discussion was about the situation between Russian and Ukraine.

3. Oklahoma wants ‘Bama; Other Alabama teams get bowl invites, too

— After Alabama’s come from behind victory against Georgia in the SEC Championship, Alabama remains the top team in the country and the favorite to win the College Football Championship. Clemson and Notre Dame join Alabama and Oklahoma as the nation’s top for teams.

— Auburn will face Purdue in the Music City Bowl, while Conference USA champion UAB gets to go to the Boca Raton Bowl to take on Northern Illinois.

2. Riverchase Galleria shooter arrested, E.J. Bradford laid to rest, protesters threaten cops and Hoover PD chief threatens to release the tape of the shooting if ALEA will not

— Jesse Jackson came to Birmingham to deliver the eulogy at the funeral for Emantic “E.J.” Bradford Jr. He said the unnamed police officer who shot Bradford “must face justice” and demanded the release of the video of the shooting.

— Today is the self-imposed deadline by Hoover officials, including Mayor Frank Brocato and police chief Nick Derzis, for ALEA to provide more information about the events of that evening. If the state’s law enforcement agency fails, the city claims it will release the info they have.

1. Former President George H.W. Bush passes and Alabama’s political leaders react

— The former president will be laid to rest on Thursday after a national day of mourning on Wednesday and funerals in Washington D.C. and Houston. His body will be transported on a temporarily renamed Air Force One, which will be called Special Air Mission 41. They will return Bush to Texas on Wednesday after the state funeral and ceremonies.

— Alabama’s political leaders noted the passing of President Bush, who Yellowhammer News noted was an “oil tycoon, a congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Republican National Committee Chairman, chief liaison to China, Director of Central Intelligence and Vice President.” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) said, “President George H.W. Bush was a true American statesman and hero. He dedicated his life to serving the country he loved for more than 70 years. From a young Naval aviator shot down in WWII to Commander-in-Chief, President Bush led our nation with integrity, honor, and measure.”

Jackson and Burke are joined by former Madison County Democratic Chairman Tom Ryan to discuss his claims of voter suppression in 2016 and 2018.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed at Democrats in the South who refuse to campaign for anything and spend all their time campaigning to destroy their opponents.

— Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel showed a little of the Democratic Party’s hand in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday. Democrats know to ensure a defeat for Trump in 2020, you’re going to have to take some of the wind out of the sails of his supporters.

— It worked with Richard Nixon. Nixon dominated his 1972 presidential reelection against his Democratic opponent George McGovern. With such a dominating performance, Nixon looked impenetrable. But once Nixon lost GOP support, it was curtains.

5. Auburn Football palace intrigue: What’s next for Gus Malzahn?

— The Trump West Wing has nothing on my alma mater. The circular firing squad within Auburn University is not only trying to take down the head football coach Gus Malzahn after an uninspiring, mediocre 7-5 season record and 3-5 conference record, but insider reports have also it threatening the tenure of University president Steven Leath.

— This is eerily reminiscent of the so-called 2003 Jetgate scandal. The university went courting Bobby Petrino to replace Tommy Tuberville, but it backfired after Auburn pulled out a win in the Iron Bowl and that ended that discussion. The next season the Tigers went undefeated, but the mistrust within Auburn persisted.

4. Trump at G20 Summit in Argentina; Cooling off on heightened tensions on trade?

— As world leaders from the planet’s 20 most industrialized nation gather in Buenos Aires, we are told that trade and climate change are going to be at the forefront.

— I wouldn’t expect to see Trump changing radically on climate change, especially when the world looks to the United States to bear the brunt economically. That’s what sunk the United States’ participation in the Paris Agreement. However, trade could be a different matter. Trump will meet with China’s President Xi Jinping. Perhaps an agreement could be reached on averting the $200 billion in tariffs with which the president has threatened China.

3. FBI bringing over 1,000 jobs to Redstone Arsenal

— On Thursday, the FBI revealed it was bringing at least an additional 1,000 jobs to Redstone Arsenal, up from the current 500. The idea is there will be an opportunity for the FBI to work with the existing defense intelligence on explosive and missile defense for the FBI.

— While this is certainly good news, it adds some pressure to local and state officials to address infrastructure concerns. This means a heavier use of the roads, power grid, etc.

2. Hoover’s Galleria suspect apprehended near Atlanta

— Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, of Bessemer, was arrested in Fairburn, Ga. on Thursday. As we know, Hoover police shot and killed Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr., 21, while responding to the shooting call at Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night. As it turned out, Bradford wasn’t the gunman. It took a day for Hoover Police to come forward with that revelation.

— Since that report, the city of Hoover is at the center of controversy. Protests have erupted, and there’s a general distrust of the local government. There is a lot at stake for Hoover, not just in terms of possible litigation and damages, but for the city’s overall economy and reputation.

1. Michael Cohen sings; Agrees to a plea deal

— Remember back a couple of months ago when the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination confirmation hearing took the Mueller probe off the front page? It’s back again. Thursday, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded to lying to Congress about Donald Trump’s involvement in a Moscow development project.

— As talk radio shock jock Dale Jackson would say, “Is this what gets Donald Trump?” If everything about this narrative is a bombshell revelation, then nothing is a bombshell revelation. Don’t tell the pseudo-pundit class in the media that. None of this is “good” for Trump, but we’ve long past the point of diminishing returns on 2016 election Russia meddling for the Democrats.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.

— Since the day U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) won his election, the media has continued to hammer home a completely unsupported myth about how he won: with a huge black turnout.

— The media and their Democrats attempted to replicate this in Mississippi, but because they were unable to keep Republicans at home (which is how Jones really won) Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith won re-election and obliterated the myth that the South is in play for Democrats.

5. As school systems and legislators want to kill the Alabama Accountability Act, parents are ready to fight back

— Despite some school systems passing resolutions asking for its repeal, parents benefiting from the AAA want to make it clear the bill has helped their students, including one parent with five children who said, “We’ve had a lot of success with the scholarship program. I have five boys, and when everything fell on me, I promised myself I was going to raise them not to be a statistic.”

— With the Alabama Education Association supporting some Republican legislators’ campaigns in ALGOP primaries, many believe that the AAA may face an assault during the 2019 legislative session.

4. Migrants regret joining the caravan; Some are staying in Mexico and others say they are heading home

— The 7,000+ caravaners now in Tijuana are staying at a makeshift tent city in a baseball stadium and they are growing increasingly frustrated after being stopped at the border with no end in sight.

— But as some migrants go home, others are preparing to head to the United States from El Salvador in what is proving to be a never-ending stream of caravans heading for the U.S. border.

3. Alabama sees a year of very strong revenue collection

— State Finance Director Kelly Butler told AL.com that the state has seen the best growth since the end of the Great Recession, noting, “I think the big picture is that it’s just generally a good economy and more people working and more people making more money.”

— The Education Trust Fund grew 6.8 percent on income taxes and sales taxes, while the General Fund grew slightly slower at four percent.

2. Hoover officials apologize as they meet with the E.J. Bradford family and reschedule Christmas tree lighting ceremony; A Jefferson County official calls for a “real” boycott

— Hoover officials have met with the family of E.J. Bradford, offering their condolences and apologizing for the misinformation that came out immediately after the shooting.

— On Tuesday, Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson called for a boycott of pretty much everything in Hoover over this shooting, saying, “We ain’t shopping at no store in the Galleria. We ain’t going to Walmart. We ain’t doing nothing no more. You want a boycott? Boycott for real. [sic]”

1. Two of President Trump’s answers to Mueller have been released as attempts to “protect” the probe fail

— Trump’s answers, as we know them, show that the president denies that he knew nothing of Roger Stone’s conversations with WikiLeaks or about the Trump Tower meeting with Russian operatives and campaign officials, including his son.

— If true, the narrative of the president colluding with the Russians seems less likely to play out. But if he is being less than truthful, the president could be opening the door to process crimes which the Mueller team is obviously very fond of pursuing.

GQ sold it this way:

2012: 28% (With Obama on the ballot)
2014: 25%
2016: 25%
2017: 29%

Republican turnout was low.

Terrible candidate Roy Moore’s 640,000 votes under-performed Trump’s 1.3 million votes in 2016 by roughly 50 percent, while now-Senator Doug Jones turned out more than 90 percent of Hillary Clinton’s votes. Even then, Jones barely won.

Jones’ election was about Republican voter suppression and nothing more.

In 2018, those voters showed up.

Republicans stayed home in 2017.

Doug Jones’ election in 2017:
Roy Moore (R) – 48.4% – 649,240
Doug Jones (D) – 49.9% – 670,551

Gov. Kay Ivey’s election in 2018:
Kay Ivey (R) – 59.6% – 1,014,821
Walt Maddox (D) – 40.4% – 686,774

Math is hard and spinning narratives is easy — especially if you are committed to the misinformation.

But now that the election in Mississippi is over, some in the media are actually telling the truth.

See below:

This kind of talk did not exist until the polls were closed because they wanted to keep the hope alive.

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— Talk of Auburn’s head coach Gus Malzahn renegotiating his contract to stay employed and reports that Bob Stoops may, or may not, be interested in his job have led to rampant speculation from sports blogs like AL.com.

— Speaking on this issue, Tuberville slammed his previous employer during a radio interview with WNSP-FM 105.5. He said, “It’s a complete mess, to be honest with you. There are too many people up there trying to make a decision. Obviously, they don’t have a clue what they are doing.”He added, “Do you think Bob Stoops wants to get into this mess? He dropped a better job than this.”

5. The trade war with China could be reaching a truce, or new tariffs could be coming

— Stocks ticked up as National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said there was “a lot of communication” between Trump and China. This could lead to an actual agreement and soybean prices could rebound because of this.

— Trump’s trade rhetoric is not going to stop, though. He says a 25 percent tariff hike is still possible in January, adding that iPhone users “could stand” a 10 percent hike in the phone’s cost.

4. Trump is ready to pull subsidies from General Motors

— President Trump took to Twitter to slam GM for closing American plants and promising to punish the company. He stated, “[W]e are now looking at cutting all GM subsidies including for electric cars.” This sent GM’s stocks down.

— Complicating the matter, the Chevy Volt’s tax credit of up to $7,500 will phase out when they sell 200,000 models, which is expected by the end of 2018. But some politicians want to extend those credits and lift the cap.

3. Protesters in Hoover went to the mayor’s house and threatened to meet the cops with violence

— On Monday, protesters blocked traffic and called police officers “domestic terrorists” over Emantic Bradford’s death. Tuesday, the same group took to Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato’s house Tuesday evening starting at 8:15 pm with protest leader, Carlos Chaverst, Jr., saying they are there “to wake the whole neighborhood up.”

— Threats of violence towards the police are coming from the leader of this protest, who said, “We come in peace but when we’re met with force, we’re going to respond and act accordingly.” He followed with, “That’s just a warning to the Hoover Police Department.”

2. Mississippi U.S. Senate race goes the way it was expected; The media narrative took the hardest hit

— Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith was elected by a large margin in spite of an all-out campaign by major media outlets to cast her as racist and someone who would tarnish Mississippi’s image for years as they tried to portray her as unacceptable.

— The narrative that a massive black turnout can carry Democrats in Southern states is a complete myth, but one that the media pushes daily. They claimed the only path to victory was Republicans staying home as they did in Alabama, which is not true.

1. Senator Doug Jones’ seat is one of the most competitive with one of his leading challengers already making moves

— The Hill noted, “Jones eked out a win in his 2017 special election bid,” and declared that Jones is one the least likely of all senators up in 2020 to keep his seat. They cited his votes against Brett Kavanaugh and for Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

— Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Mobile) made news yesterday when he implied he was preparing for a run. He also thinks former U.S. Senator/Attorney General Jeff Sessions would not run. He added that other congressmen will not run against him, reasoning, “I think we’ve already picked one.”

Tucked into the omnibus spending bill currently being negotiated is the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which is poised to deliver clean-burning natural gas from West Virginia to the eastern seaboard. Such projects languished without approval for years during the Obama administration, which restricted U.S. energy production in favor of subsidizing green projects or importing energy resources from other countries.

Reversing course, President Donald Trump has made “energy dominance” a key plank in his economic platform, which has already delivered the lowest unemployment and most robust job growth we have seen in years.

“Permanent energy self-sufficiency — once a pipe dream for Americans who remember waiting for hours in gas lines in the 1970s — is now very close to reality,” said John Fredericks, a political commentator based in Virginia who has closely followed the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project. “As our energy exports expand, our record trade deficits across the globe will be reduced, keeping cash and jobs in America — instead of going to other countries.”

Fredericks noted that Massachusetts recently took the opposite approach, blocking pipelines that would have delivered natural gas and choosing instead of purchase from Russia. But state and local governments in Virginia and North Carolina have cleared the path for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to deliver American energy resources to American households.

Those decisions have teed up Senator Shelby and his Appropriations Committee colleagues to do what they’ve done better than anyone since taking back control from Democrats: close the deal.

Tim Howe is the editor and an owner of Yellowhammer News

“I think Doug Jones is imminently beatable, but we proved last year that you can’t beat Doug Jones with just any Republican,” Byrne shared. “We need to pick the right Republican. And I’m going around asking people am I the right Republican and the response we are getting from the vast majority of people is, ‘Yes, you are the right Republican to knock Doug Jones off in 2020.'”

Jackson asked Byrne if Alabama’s Republican congressmen will face each other in a primary for the Republican nomination, which Byrne said he doesn’t expect to happen.

“No, sir,” Byrne stated. “I think we’ve already picked one.”

Byrne also heavily implied that he does not expect former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to enter the race.

“I think the truth of the matter is he doesn’t know what he wants to do. It’s too soon, and I think we all need to understand that. But, I’ve been very clear with him that I’m continuing to do what I thought he was going to do month ago, and he’s not said anything to me about, ‘Oh no, Bradley, don’t do that. I may run,’ so I said, ‘Senator, I’m continuing to do what I’m doing,’ so that’s what I’m continuing to do.

It is almost two years until this election takes place, but this kind of talk from a sitting United State congressman makes it clear that Bradley Byrne won’t be waiting to officially enter this race to take on Senator Doug Jones.

Listen:

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— As the American media attacks the president and the border patrol for enforcing our immigration law and using tear gas to repel an invasion, Mexico is enforcing their own immigration law and deporting those who stormed the U.S. border.

— In Mexico, Gerardo Garcia Benavente, with Mexico’s migration office relayed that “98 foreigners were returned to their country last night following the violent incident at the border post.”

5. The election in Mississippi tests Democrats’ strategy of personal destruction

— After the Democrats took down Roy Moore, attempted to take down Justice Brett Kavanaugh and targeted multiple candidates with baseless unproven allegations of criminality and racism to no avail, they have decided that personal destruction will be a never-ending strategy. Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is the latest victim.

— Hyde-Smith is up 10 points in the latest polling on former Clinton administration official Mike Espy. But the media has attempted to make this seat competitive by focusing for weeks on everything from a joke about attending a hanging (incorrectly calling it a lynching) and wearing a Confederate hat, to saying she attended a segregation academy as a child.

4. Former Governor Robert Bentley’s next embarrassing public moment will happen in March — Lucky us

— The never-ending saga of Bentley’s embarrassing term in office will never end. The next chapter will take place in federal court as former ALEA director Spencer Collier sues him for wrongful termination.

— Bentley says Collier was fired for cause: not coming to work. Collier says Bentley wrongfully fired him and then launched an investigation in an attempt to discredit him. He also accused Bentley of having an affair and interfering in the business of law enforcement.

3. General Motors to close plants and eliminate jobs; the president is not happy

— General Motors said it will lay off 15 percent of its workforce and 25 percent of its executives. This will affect plants in the U.S. and Canada, including plants in states won by Trump — Ohio and Michigan.

— While speaking to reporters on a range of topics, GM came up and the president told the gaggle that GM will return “[i]n the not-too-distant future, they’ll put something else,” adding, “They better put something else in.”

2. Analysis of midterm votes show a clear distinction between urban centers and rural America, even in the South

— Republican domination of the South could be in trouble. Stronger voter turnout amongst minorities in major cities could lead to states like Texas and Georgia being in play as they were with Stacey Abrams and Beto O’Rourke.

— It appears this last election was about President Donald Trump, just as 2016 was about Hillary Clinton. The message might be we need more than one election to build a trend on.

1. Headlines on multiple platforms scream that police say the man killed after the shooting at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving shouldn’t have had a gun —They didn’t

— Attempting to play up the racial angle of the matter, outlets like NBC News and other headlines like “Alabama police suggest black man killed by officer shouldn’t have held his gun,” further inflame a contentious issue by making it about his race instead of not the brandishing of the gun.

— The Hoover PD press release clearly states, “We can say with certainty Mr. Bradford brandished a gun during the seconds following the gunshots, which instantly heightened the sense of threat to approaching police officers responding to the chaotic scene.” This is an obvious conclusion to draw when police arrive on the scene of a shooting because a guy with a gun is going to draw the attention.

For the next three decades, it would serve as the heart of the city of Hoover and be the centerpiece of the city’s retail-driven economy. People would come from all around the state of Alabama and beyond to shop at the Galleria.

It was even a stop for President George H.W. Bush in his failed 1992 re-election bid against Bill Clinton.

As they always do, things changed. Brick-and-mortar retail has given way to online shopping. And little by little, the once bustling Riverchase Galleria has been in a consistent and steady decline.

It wasn’t without trying. The Galleria has undergone additions, renovations and added retail on the western side of its property. It even got its own exit off of I-459

But like most indoor shopping malls in America, the Galleria’s days seem numbered, especially after last week’s deadly shooting and the chaos that has since ensued.

Months earlier, one long-time Galleria independent business owner told me that he was just barely hanging on and that his sales were a fraction of what they were in the 1990s and early 2000s.

This year, the mall’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony, once one of the signature holiday events of the area, hardly drew anyone.

People were already reluctant to go to the Galleria and were opting to shop online or to head for U.S. 280’s The Summit. The threat of gun violence in broad daylight will shrink the already dwindling customer base. It’s difficult to see how ownership can alter that perception.

To their credit, Hoover city officials saw this coming. Earlier this year, the city raised its sales, property and lodging taxes, recognizing that sales tax revenue was on the decline given the decrease brick-and-mortar retail sales.

Even with the demise of the Riverchase Galleria, Hoover should remain one of Alabama’s premier communities. Despite being looked upon by its northern neighbors Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook as nouveau riche, the city of Hoover maintains a strategic advantage geographically and is bolstered by a successful public school system.

With or without the Riverchase Galleria, Hoover will survive. The question is, what’s the next big thing for the southern Jefferson County suburb?

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.

In December of 2017, the United States Air Force announced that it had selected Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Wisconsin and Dannelly Field in Alabama as the preferred locations for the F-35.

“Selecting Truax Field and Dannelly Field will increase Air National Guard F-35A units providing 5th Generation airpower around the world,” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said at the time. “As F-35As arrive at these locations, we will use the existing aircraft at these fields to replace the aging F-16s at other Air National Guard units.”

After the announcement, Dannelly Field began undertaking a multi-year, $50 million construction project to house between 18 and 24 F-35s. An additional six pilots are also expected to be added to the unit. In addition to the construction workers and federal contractors who will benefit greatly from the flurry of economic activity, the flow of new money from the base and people working there is expected to boost local businesses.

The F-35s are expected to start arriving in Alabama just a few short years from now in 2023, but first, the program is going to have to overcome some startling setbacks.

Last month, the Pentagon decided to temporarily ground F-35 aircraft operating around the world “due to faulty engine tubes,” according to DefenseOne.

Lockheed Martin designed and built the state-of-the-art plane. Their Alabama roots go back a half-century and they continue to enjoy a large presence in Huntsville and at a missile factory in Pike County. But it’s not Lockheed’s work that seems to be the issue here, it’s the work of Pratt & Whitney, the engine maker.

The F-35’s Joint Program Office launched a worldwide inspection in search of “suspect fuel tubes” in the P&W engines, which are believed to have resulted in a downed plane during a training mission in South Carolina. The pilot safely ejected before the crash, but the plane was lost.

“We are actively partnering with the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office (and) our global customers and Pratt & Whitney to support the resolution of this issue and limit disruption to the fleet,” a Lockheed Martin spokesman said.

For the sake of the U.S. military, the team at Dannelly Field and Alabama’s River Region economy, let’s hope Pratt & Whitney gets their issues straightened out soon. There’s a lot at stake.

— Now that it appears the Clinton family will not be wielding any official influence anytime soon their charitable foundation has seen its donations dry up from $62,912,331 in 2017 to $26,566,825 in 2018.

— President Trump seized on this news to point out that this organization was created to sell influence, as most have understood for years. He said, “Clinton Foundation donations drop 42% – which shows that they illegally played the power game. They monetized their political influence through the Foundation.”

5. Illegal “drive-by voting” has been happening in Alabama according to the Alabama secretary of state

— Secretary of State John Merrill relayed instances of illegal “drive-by voting” in 2016 and 2018 to Alabama Public Television on Friday, saying, “I’ve had instances in 2016 and again this year where we had people that were allowing drive-by voting – curbside voting. If you came up to the polls and you were not able to get out of the car, or you said you were disabled, they were allowing people to take the ballots out.”

— Alabama Democrats have been recklessly suggesting there is voter suppression in the state of Alabama, yet none have offered a single shred of evidence.

4. A climate change report has American media excited as they ignore America has more than led the way on this

— A new government report says the economy could lose hundreds of billions of dollars or possibly more than 10 percent of its GDP by the end of the century; more shockingly, it could kill thousands prematurely every year.

— Since 2005, the U.S. is near the top of the world in greenhouse emissions reductions, by percentage. As number one in total reductions in greenhouse gasses, the U.S. shows it is invested in addressing this concern in spite of the perception that no one cares.

3. Alabama bureaucrat credits U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) with the state’s increase in tourism

— Alabama Tourism Department director Lee Sentell cited the election of Doug Jones as something that led to more people visiting the state and his reasoning is confusing, at best. In a statement to the Montgomery Advertiser about empty threats from out of state, Sentell said, “[W]e had lots of calls and emails the month leading up to (the election of Sen. Doug Jones), people saying, ‘We will never come to Gulf Shores again.”

— This isn’t the first ridiculous thing that some in Alabama are trying to give Jones credit for. Jones and others have claimed that his election was responsible for bringing the Toyota-Mazda plant to Alabama and, to be kind, that is just not true.

2. Man killed by police in Hoover was not the shooter — Reports state he had a weapon and “may have been involved in some aspect of the altercation“

— Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving turned deadly at the Galleria in Hoover when a fight resulted in gunfire that injured two. In the chaos that followed, law enforcement reportedly killed a man who was not the shooter but was armed.

— The investigation is ongoing, and media reports are not clear as to what happened with law enforcement and the individual killed at the scene. A large group protested the shooting on Saturday.

1. Wannabe illegal immigrants attempt to crash the border as U.S. closes one of the largest border crossings

— Social media posts and media reports show hundreds of migrants from a caravan we were told did not exist evading Mexican riot police and rushing the border. They were pushed back by tear gas after some of the migrants threw rocks.

— Following through on an earlier threat by President Trump, US Customs and Border Protection closed road and pedestrian bridges on Sunday at the San Ysidro.

Jackson and Burke are joined by State Senator Arthur Orr to discuss gas taxes, Medicaid expansion and what the 2019 legislative session may look like.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed at Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), who is continuing to lie about voter suppression in Alabama.

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN